The authoritarian leader of Kazakhstan lavished praise on David Cameron
yesterday during the Prime Minister’s visit to the oil-rich Central Asian
state that was overshadowed by a row over its human rights record.

Mr Cameron justified his decision to become the first serving British prime
minister to visit Kazakhstan — whose regime is accused by critics of jailing
and torturing opponents — on the ground that it was a “rising power”.

He made only a brief mention of human rights as he sat next to President
Nazarbayev at a press conference.